Statement of Inclusion

Sheffield Steel Roller Derby is committed to building a league based on love, respect and acceptance. Our skaters come from all walks of life, and this diversity is what helps makes us great. Women and men, gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, cisgender, religious, atheist, full-body abled, disabled, neurotypical, neurodiverse, young and old – the 70+ people who make up our league are all indispensable, and deserve all the love and respect we have to offer. We support the right of everyone to live their lives free of bullying and harassment.

We welcome all self-identifying women over the age of 18 to join us as skaters, and people of all genders to join as referees and non-skate officials, as well as coaches and volunteers. We are always learning and growing, so please let us know if there’s any way we can help you get involved.

We strive to hold our events in locations that are accessible to those with restricted mobility. We’d love to hear your suggestions for how we can improve our accessibility services in any way. Please email ssrdgamesteam@gmail.com with any comments.

Bigotry, sexism, transphobia, racism, homophobia or any other form of intolerance or hate will not be tolerated within the league or at any of our events. Any skater experiencing problems within the league – from a skater, referee, NSO or other – can talk to their committee representative, or another trusted member, and we will work to resolve the issue. Skaters who engage in bullying or harassment will be removed from the league. Anyone expressing intolerance or hate towards another person at an event will result in ejection without reimbursement, and a ban from subsequent events. ​

Trans inclusion

We believe in and comply with the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) Transgender Policy:

In a roller derby team, there exists a spectrum of heights, weights, natural abilities and existing or gained fitness levels. Each skater on a team utilises the strengths they have – whether it be a speedy, explosive jammer compared to a more powerful, offensive style jammer, or a super-agile blocker compared to a powerhouse blocker. It is not therefore relevant to deem a transgender skater ineligible for inclusion in roller derby on the basis of what stage of gender transition they are at or how their physical body presents– UKRDA Transgender Policy, Item 12.

We therefore explicitly support the right of trans women to join us as skaters and we encourage non-binary people who feel comfortable participating in a women-identified team to join us as skaters. We welcome people of all genders to join as referees, non-skate officials, coaches and volunteers. If you have any questions about joining us, please email ssrdmembership@gmail.com. The UKRDA Transgender Liaison can be contacted via tgliaison@ukrda.org.uk.

Why is it important to be explicitly trans inclusive?

There remains a harmful and pervasive idea in our society that trans and non-binary people don’t exist, shouldn’t exist, or that they are deviants or other derogatory stereotypes.

SSRD rejects this narrative and aims to provide a safe and accepting environment for trans and non-binary people to participate in roller derby.

What does SSRD do to be trans inclusive?

We welcome trans women and non-binary people who wish to skate for a women’s league to participate as skaters (as per the WFTDA Gender Statement)

We welcome people of any gender to join as officials, coaches and volunteers

We share our statement of inclusion publicly on our website and via social media throughout the year

We promote trans and non-binary acceptance in sport and the roller derby community

We issue regular reminders to our members about the importance of education ourselves and each other about trans inclusion, and of speaking out in support of the trans and non-binary communities

We ensure our resources are up to date and circulated frequently

We have robust policies and procedures in place for dealing with unacceptable behaviour towards the trans and non-binary communities

We apologise when we get things wrong and adapt our behaviour to address the problem